EXPOSING the Fishing Industry's "Dirty SECRET" to Take YOUR Money... 

For anyone interested, here’s the article referenced about pure fishing bassanglermag.com/pure-fishing-at-risk-of-default-despite-sycamore-partners-company-efforts/

We need a list of the fishing lure and tackle companies that have NOT been bought out so we can support them.

Ben: “Shitty, ugly, water camo clothing” Me looks down at my shirt: “fuck…”

Worked in PE for many years. It is the most sophisticated money laundering operation that one could ever imagine. Ben is spot on with everything in this video.

100 PER CENT! As the owner of a mom and pop bait and tackle store I can tell you the part of the industry I know a little about you are spot on. It's pretty awesome there is ONE Pro fisherman that has the balls to say what you did.

As a marketing professor and ex corporate marketing VP, your analysis is spot on. You pinned the root cause of less spending on marketing and lure R&D as the need for higher returns by PE. But remember, the small business owner who sold to PE was the biggest winner here. The good news is this cycle will blow up, and soon. When it does, smaller companies will emerge again.

I love your fishing content, but this was the best info ever shared about the industry in it's current state! Well done, Sir!

You are obviously much more involved in 6th Sense, than most of us realized, and therefore probably have a wealth of inside industry knowledge! This is by far the best breakdown of how private equity companies are destroying so many industries, while the general public has no idea. I was already impressed with your angling skill, Ben, and the level of insight on display here just takes it to another level. Kudos to you!

As someone who has no money or business in the industry other than LOVING my kayak and bass fishing, that was an outstanding video. I think it sums up the corporate world across the entire country and about every industry. Thanks

So refreshing to hear someone without sponsorship chains speaking the truth.

This was the most incredible video. I’ve seen in a while. It’s not just happening in Fishing. It’s happening in several industries especially the housing market. Thank you for making this video and presenting it the way normal people can understand it. Hell I’m putting this on Twitter.

Wow, helluva presentation, Ben! It's always refreshing to hear someone else who actually sees the big picture. And isn't afraid to call out shady private investment firms. All the best brother!💯👊

Saw the same thing at my job. PE came in and sold off major parts of company to pad their nest, then left us holding the bag. This was 5 to 7 years ago and the company is still struggling. Great explanation and great video!

As a very small tackle business owner, I’m already at that bottom of the graph. 😂😂 But we gonna try to push through

I'm 66 years old and have bass fished most of my life. I've fished tournaments at the lower levels but always paid attention to the changes, corporate growth and buying up of the fishing industry. Everything you've described takes me back to what my Dad told me years ago about "being in business", he said you never want a money person to ascend or buy your company. If you want the company to stay in business, someone from that industry needs to own and run the company, not a "bottom line money guy". Private equities qualify as being "bottom line money guys". I really got a case of the red ass when Strike King bought several plastics factories recently, trying to break Zoom and other small soft plastic manufacturers. Very unethical business practices......

Incredible! Bravo for having the balls to speak truths about our sport. Now we as anglers/ citizens need to have the balls to change the game.

I’m an MBA and I was approached by a bunch of PE firms, have buddies in PE - Ben you are so spot on man. Lol the best part is that you have people with experience and knowledge in Finance backing your claims AND people in the fishing industry who have seen this happen throughout the years. There are so many things wrong with PE - especially leveraged buyouts. They can go to a bank and leverage capital to buy these companies based on their numbers just like you said. Major League sports gets it wrong time and time again. The money flows to the top, and not to the consumers in these industries. Buy more jerseys, buy more overpriced beers, tickets, and listen to the pro’s complain about the pay they get - and the sport doesn’t get better. These companies can never get enough money. This is such a badass video. P.S. Please have 6th sense make a 402 long sleeve red performance shirt just like the T!

Where I work, is owned by one of those companies you posted. And I see it happening exactly like you just explained. Damn, I mean you nailed it to a tee! And they don’t care who they hurt or kill along the way. When they get out, the little business owner who is able to hang on and survive is always the winner. And the consumer is the winner in the long run, but getting there is painful for the business man. Unless, he knows the game you just described. I know where you’re headed with this. So glad you decided to go full time YT years ago and I was watching you going, you go Ben. Some how Ben, I see a Bigger hand on your shoulder than I believe you see. Don’t ask me how I know, but I’ve watched you since your early videos and your journey, and I’ve always know it. Don’t run from it, you might want to embrace it!! Thanks 😊😎

People pay thousands of dollars and spend months in a classroom falling asleep at their desk to learn what you just broke down in a free short and entertaining video. Thanks, Ben, for dropping free to us (we know it cost you youre time) real deal knowledge and keeping the audience engaged.

Ben, I was blown away from this video. You explained so well that I could cry. You are spot on, and for those who never took a business class or made a D in that class, listen to this video over and over again. Ben just gave you the dirty and facts of trying to be a pro fisherman and an old pro fisherman. So before you go all in, you better find out quick, fast, and a hurry WHERE YOU FIT IN. Ben just save your life your family and hard earn money. Like Mr Ben, I drop the mic 🎤 now. Thank Ben for explaining it to everyone.

Ben, that my friend was a mic drop moment. I see exactly what you detail is happening in the fishing industry happening all across our country. Check out what's happening in the housing industry. There's basically two conglomerates buying up all housing so that there's less choice and it's more expensive to own a home. You can take the model you just shared with respect to the fishing industry and apply that to just about any industry in this country right now. Private equity is consuming and controlling everything. I really enjoyed this video, it's a super honest look at what is taking place in the fishing industry and probably a good road map for why the fishing industry can't support two leagues and will eventually be one league with a lot less people in it. Keep up the good content, I love the candor and I tell everybody all the time that you have to be able to drop an f-bomb or two to keep everybody's attention when you're making a point. 😊

"The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing" Thank you good man, for the truth and passion you have for fishing. We as fishermen are good men, we will not do nothing!! Ben never name dropped 6th sense because that was not what this was about, nor his way. But if you are looking for a way to DO SOMETHING support these small American owned tackle companies.

Very enlightening, thank you so much for sharing the inside scoop on what’s happening in fishing. Been fishing for 30 years and seen an incredible increase in the cost to fish. It’s actually more expensive to fish than to play golf.

Ben always speaking facts! Love hearing this from your point of view... Knowing you have dealt with the business, tournament, and influencer side of it all! Good stuff man.

Ben is the man. Berkley has been so off putting for years. This only intensifies that feeling. Good for you Ben

God I love this guy, if we only had 80 more of him tournament fishing would be different! So nice to see an angler with a sack!!!

I am a retired recreational bass fisherman. Been fishing since a child. Club fished in the 80s. I got two bass boats (80s) and 1 jon/jet. I watch no organized sports, including fishing. I watch a few RU-vid videos on fishing. I absolutely enjoyed your presentation. Hilarious and definitely piques my cynical nerve! Very cool!

Great video!!! I also agree with what you said about the outdoor industry as a whole. Thats why in my state RV companies are going through massive layoffs and company consolidations right now.

Spot on Ben!! I’ve witnessed this behind the scenes this past year. A friend of mine developed a very unique underspin. A conglomerate caught wind of this and approached. They weren’t willing to pay him any, and were very fast to inform him that they only had to change 10% to make it there own. Sad times.

"Randy hasnt caught a fish since 1982" 😂😂😂

Thank you for creating this video. I’ve been saying this for two years and warning people to be careful who you make a deal with.

Wow! That was one of the most informative eye-opening videos I have ever watched. That was so mic drop worthy! Thank you for sharing this information and exposing the ugly side of the fishing industry and helping people understand what's really going on.

Well said brother! I’m just getting started in this industry and it’s made me think twice about who I represent. I appreciate your honesty. You are the future of this sport and I hope people follow your example

Hell yeah!! I’m glad someone finally said something about it!! I’ve seen the effects this had on oilfield companies over the past 10 years and it’s painful watching it happen to the outdoor industry

As someone who has been an avid fisherman since the 80s, this massive influx of covid fishermen has been incredibly frustrating. I don't know about the rest of you, but the good news that at least in my part of the country, the covid fishermen seem to be going back to whatever the hell hobby they had before. This summer I saw way less fishermen than the previous 2 years, and a HUGE influx of used boats and kayaks for sale. Good Riddance covid fishermen!

Bro... Randy Blanket is punching air right now 🤣 You're right though. Maybe now is the time for these small businesses that got bought out to rebrand, make new, better stuff, and build back up. Could be awesome 😎👌

Ben, thanks for sharing and putting this info out for others to open their eyes a bit. I’ve been saying this to others over the last couple years, and I get funny looks. Glad I’m not the only one who saw this…

Bro that was one of the best videos you have ever done right down to the walk off. Everything you said was so true. I am a tournament angler who struggles with the expense of it all but my love for the sport will not let me stop. How can people like me help?

Damn.. You are spot on! I love the honesty and that you hold NOTHING back and put it all out there. But, what did bother me is the professionalism. I was taught to never bring down another colleague/competitor in the game. Again, that is just me. You never know what the future holds for you and this game. Don’t get cocky! At the end of the day, you executed a great video that has earned your likes/comments.

Very excited to see the responses from ppl on this video. Laid out perfectly. Just like the rest of the country being owned by 6 corporations(or less) is ruining our way of life. Letting the fishing industry be owned by 1 or 2 conglomerates will destroy it, and quickly.

This was one of the best explanations of how big business destroys something you love. Kudos to Ben. Felt like I was in my college business class back in the 90's. As for me being a manufacturer and business owner in the fishing industry I hear crazy stories all the time with some big name companies buying your product and then re-selling it cheaper then you can make it to put you out of business. Thank you Ben got doing this video.

M’fer, the Randy on the nail filled me with laughter. I watch all his stuff, but dang he’s a negative old man refusing to change with the times. I’m glad you got in my algorithm cause I needed a fresh pov to put more bass in my boat, and less ranting about stuff that can’t be changed! Thanks, dude!

Good analysis of what's going on with fishing! Consolidation of the industry started way before 2019. I'm sure glad that I did all my pro level fishing between 1991-2007. I never fished full time but still didn't have any issue finding sponsorship to cover my expenses.

I agree with your assessment of the industry and how the C word was the start of a lot of the industry problems or more so the escalation of those problems. The one thing I’ve heard very few people talk about is how a lot of new fishermen coming into the sport with no understanding of proper livewell cleaning, fish handling, etc who now have all of the electronics to speed up the process of finding fish and a short learning curve on catching fish. They can now catch fish from depths and times of year where they are susceptible to disease and bacteria and are being killed due to mishandling. I would agree that that is not due to forward facing sonar but lack of knowledge on fish handling. I’ve never seen so many dead trophy bass floating or on the bottom in my lifetime. I’d love to see more influencers with large followings do more informative videos on fish handling. Make sure we have a future in our fisheries, because not all are large. Most of the fisheries in my area are less than 300 acres and with the influx of fisherman without knowledge on fish handling, they are taking a toll on the trophy class fish that are the future of the fisheries. I currently catch larger than average fish in my area without the aid of any sonar, so I can only imagine what someone who uses it and who understands it could do. If they do not properly handle the fish, well big fat Gina won’t be spawning and putting her genes back in the pool. Take a 50 acre lake with maybe a handful of trophy class fish and newbie Timmy could put a hurtin on that fishery in no time. Then jump on to the next and repeat, killing fish that take years to reach that size. I’m already seeing a huge gap in the last two years, with the fewest 5-7lbers I’ve ever seen. I’ve seen countless Instagram posts over the last two years of dudes here releasing that class of fish discolored like near death after being tossed in their makeshift livewells bragging about how their forward facing sonar and this bait is the deal and all the while that fish can’t swim away and is floating dead hours later. It’s not anything other than that guys wanting clout on the gram holding a fish in an improperly built, cleaned, maintained livewell for an excessive period of time so they can hold up their 5 fish limit like their favorite RU-vidr. Do we ban forward facing sonar, no, we educate as you did us with what really goes on in the fishing industry. Hopefully this is taken as more than bitching and more a reach for help for us with smaller fisheries.

Bro!!! NAILED. IT!!! Best video I’ve seen yet, and no bullshit side stepping. WELL DONE!!

Thanks again for another episode of Pro. Milliken on Bass Fishing. There are two sides to private equity, one where they "inject" money into a company but at the end of the day, they invested for a ROI that is GREATER than what they could in the market (which is very hard). Money isnt free, especially with rising interest rates. Those PE company's put so much pressure on the subsidiaries to meet annual operating projections.

This some great insight Ben and really gets to the root cause. One way we can fight back against the PE’s is start spending more at the small businesses and those not affiliated with PE firms. It would be good to have a list of those companies along with products not made in China

Man great vid and love how you explain it to everyone. Plus the Marker drop was cold 😂

Bro! That was excellent. You did a great job of explaining the economics of the industry. I’m a marketing professional in a nonprofit organization… props for that illustration of the many hidden levels and negative impact of all these “biz moves”

This is what Berkeley did to Patrick Sebile with the Sebile magic swimmer.

Glad you pointed out what is pretty much wrong with business in this country right now.

If I didn't see it I wouldn't of believed it. I had my sponsors years ago and glad I got out of the tournament trail. Filming is much less stressful and I don't have to push any product. Thanks for the great video. Nailed it.

Thank You for making this! Finally somebody had the ballz to say something. Good job bro.

This topic has been needing to be talked about for a while, Sadly, the professional anglers and the leagues are nothing more than Indentured servants to the private equity companies. I understand the anglers need sponsor money, but they need to see the big picture before they sell out to the "corporate douche". Thank you so much Ben for this video, hopefully it will open some eyes.

Spot on. Exact same thing happening in the powerline industry. PE buys. Churns a profit. Sells and then leaves the company for dead.

Nailed it! Private Equity guys have bought up virtually all of the Harley Davidson dealerships in the Chicagoland marketplace and are now buying up the Milwaukee Harley dealerships. Those that don’t comply have been closing. They have a “Harley” figurehead who customers have never seen and the figurehead may not even know how to ride. Once a potential Customer is in their database it’s impossible for the Customer to “shop around” for a better price as ownership controls all the dealerships. Just as you pointed out, they eliminate the best employees and mechanics. Customers have to go to private mechanics to get quality work done at fair prices. It all stinks!

Great video Ben thanks so much for taking the time to put this out

Ive always appreciated Ben's raw unfiltered lifestyle. He and probably most people here understand that it doesnt start nor end with the fishing industry... For example look who owns the food industry..

I’m glad you put this out there!!! This is the exact reason I walked away from this sport when I did.

Wow opened my eyes to a side of the business that I was unaware of. This may be the best video you’ve done. Any quite frankly I hope everyone gets what your saying and start spending all there money with privately owed businesses. But it will never happen. I’m a small business owner myself and see it every day. People will shop for the quickest and cheapest products they can which drives the corporate chains and chokes the mom and pop stores out. Sad but true. Thanks for stepping out there to educate us on this. Will change my Bass fishing purchases for sure.Please people support your small business when you can.

Great video man. Hopefully everyone watches or hears this somehow. Great breakdown of business 101 for those who didn't know! Thanks for more entertainment and information as always!!

Dude this is awesome. Jacob and you really get it also love how Randy hasn’t caught a fish since the Cold War.

Great video Ben. You nailed it and you get it. PE has done this over and over to create their own monopoly’s in many businesses. Then the do exactly what you said squeeze the little guys out by vertically integrating the business and become the supplier. And China has helped everyone of them do it with the supply, from electronics, fishing gear to medicine. Thanks for telling people the way it really is. I know where I’m buying my fishing stuff now. Keep up the great work.

This is the best video I've ever seen!! Coming from a small business owner in the freight industry, everything you have said is correct! Best of luck in the Elites!!

You think I can I turn this in for ECO 101 at school? Well said Mr. Milliken, well said! I'll definitely be remembering this next time I order/purchase anything (while looking at my 4 piece travel rod). Thanks for all you do in the sport!

Most of the modern pros got flipped upside down by dudes like you with actual influence started bringing more to the table 🔥

Thank you Ben, for saying what none else will say openly. One day it will cycle back around but that recovery time is going to spell hard times for the industry and more importantly the conservation efforts that this industry was founded around. Sad reality Corporations and PE don't give a F about giving back to conservation efforts, and will just dump their ruins when they are done milking it.

Dude, you’re so spot on. I was in the outdoor industry over 25 years. I also managed boat service center for a large company. Covid changed so much. I tell people always look at the “parent companies” that own the small companies. Covid has made the demand go up and quality go down…and those PE guys know this.

Best video of the year. The industry needs truth, and the legion of shills have closed their eyes to the reality of what they signed up for. Tell the truth, but most importantly open your damn eyes.---Cuda Jigsquad

Ben, I'm so glad you have the fuzz to come out and hand out the crying towels to the "players" in the corporate sh!+ show this industry has turned into. Thanks for everything you do! #MF2024!

Hey bud, Mr. Milliken, you were already one of my favorites. Now you are my favorite. I hope you tear it up this coming year win tournaments make money and keep bringing us the best videos you’re the man

Randy looking into the Bidenomics of the situation😂

Every RU-vid Channel in the sport needs to share the hell out of this!!!!! If they are Brave Enough . . . . Ben For President . Cheers from Canada

Ben, I’m 72 years young and though I must say, you have in past video’s truly got under my skin! In this case Dude right here right now, your presentation/information is clearly on target! I have personally experienced a very similar situation in my career, thank you for your honesty and candor… Just realize some of those other opinions/views/voices are coming from another side that’s just as Frustrated as you are but simply are unable to see the big picture as easily as you do.

I am not a professional fisherman but have loved the sport for over 60 years( yeah I'm old) and got a taste of some of this about 3 years ago. I found a soft plastic bait after much trial and error in a certain color that just seemed to out fish every thing else around where I live. I actually shared that knowledge with a few friends and they agreed. We tried all the different colors and this one was best by far. We bought thousands of dollars worth of this product over the last 15 years or so. Many people we know used to ask us how the heck do we catch so many fish? Then around 3 years ago this very famous bait company was bought out by a much bigger company and immediately stopped production of this bait in our color. We called them and emailed them to no avail. We even tried to arrange a large special run of over 10 thousand dollars worth but they wouldn't go for it even though they still made many other baits in that same color.

This is better than a f**k around and find out like graph. 😂

So true, crazy how much the industry has changed and people are blaming it on all these surface issues that don’t matter. The real problem is with that dinero bro.

Spot on! Couldn’t have said it better. Sadly this is not just the fishing industry. Happening all over the world. Great explanation of how this world is going to crap!

Bro....thank you....that was much needed and appreciate your take!!

That’s a mic drop and the thanksgiving clap back of them all. The big man always wants his hands in everything, no matter what he has to do or who he has to take out or buy out.

Loved the video Ben, great business information here that gives people insight on how the industry works.

I’m throwing all my shit out that isn’t 6th sense or other self owned companies

You nailed it. You must have corporate presentation experience. The same happened to the RV industry. A new generation of campers with no camping etiquette came out in groves in 2020 and 2021. They are now camping in groups of five or more dominating the campground on weekends . They are selling out now. You could use your same graphs .

Ben, I have put a STAR by your name. Smarter, Brighter than the majority of the masses.

Dude, let's fucking go. God DAMMIT man, we NEEDED someone who can afford to grab their nuts and sit everyone tf DOWN for a spell. 😤💯

Dry Erase Marker Drops Just Hit Different! Great video that applies to a lot of industries.

Hilarious but true and educational tutorial! This applies to so much of what has gone on in the real world for the past 4 years. Sad but so many people don't see what is going on around us😢

the lowkey "unintended" FU to randy blaukat is about the best thing ill see on youtube all day!! #MuchAppreciated 15:10

This isn’t just the fishing industry. I spent 14 years in the archery industry and the same thing happened. I got laid off from a PE owned company a year ago. PE is an absolute cancer. Your assessment is spot on- another angle many don’t consider beyond the economic ramifications are the political ones. In many cases the people in these PE firms are left leaning. They are quite literally taking money from hard working conservatives, and funneling that money into liberal coffers, causes, and agendas. It’s horrible.

Outstanding video and thank you for speaking the truth. You just gained a fan. Unfortunately this is happening across all industries. The next few years will be interesting to say the least.

You nailed it. I am lucky that I am set tackle wise. At the beginning of the C word scored some Dobyns rods at insane prices and now just look for deep discount sales. 6th sense in particular has great sales and found one really good BF sale this year. One giant online store is trending to be like BPS and others, but there are some decent options now. Lastly, I know long post, may upgrade my 06 boat if the right boat at the right price comes available when many try to dump them. Glad I fish for fun and not for a living.

Hunting brands have gone that way already.

Damn! This one hits hard. Man make another vid about some good companies to spend our money with.

As a former marketing guy and business student you couldn’t be more spot on. Corporate greed has affected some of my favorite lures.

Hell yeah, Ben!! Can’t wait to watch you fish this year!! Great video!

A lot of what you say is true. A few "you tubers" fish and ram one shitty ass brand down our throats when half of the companies products suck.

It will balance out in the long run. Buy local and make your own baits.

I saw this coming. Actually sold my boat on the upswing prior to things starting to tank. The industry is imploding right now due to corporate greed. Somehow (after buying a kayak and still fishing a few tourneys) I still became a victim of the greed when a certain organization chose money instead of doing the morally right thing for the angler (me) who has spent decades and a lot money helping the “grow the sport” into this. The only hope for the true, pure sport of competitive fishing is that anglers, business people and fans get back to fishing because they love “it” and not the money.

Been following you for a long time, couldn’t agree more. As a guy who doesn’t care about the money, & just wants to fish with a dream of holding any trophy on stage that I’ve earned, has become near impossible… It’s all I want tho. Well explained sir! 🔥🙏🏼🎣

RANDY HASNT CAUGHT THEM SINCE 82 NOW THATS FUNNY AS SHIT